Despite a new coach at the helm, with assistant Kevin Foote stepping up after Dave Wessels' departure, it was more of the same from the Rebels, who missed the Super Rugby AU playoffs after finishing fourth.

Star Wallabies winger Marika Koroibete's try-scoring drought continued with Melbourne failing to get across the line at AAMI Park as the Blues posted a thumping 50-3 victory.

Foote was bitterly disappointed by his team's performance, with some players even apologising to him for the scoreline in his debut as head coach.

"That's not the result that any of us wanted," the South African-born coach said.

"I'm disappointed and I feel for the boys - a lot of the guys were saying sorry to me which shows how much they care but it's not about that.

"It's a good lesson for us of where we want to go as a club."

Blues No.8 Hoskins Sotutu scored two early second-half tries to effectively put the game out of the Rebels' reach by the 56th minute.

The match then opened up, with the Blues running rampant to finish with six tries, with replacement back Akira Ioane also finishing with a double.

Loosehead prop Karl Tu'inukuafe terrorised his opposite Cabous Eloff and the Rebels pack in the opening stanza, earning four scrum penalties.

Dominating the set-piece as well as possession and territory, the visitors also forced errors in the Melbourne attack through their lightning line-speed.

Each side were unlucky not to score through the first half with an early effort by Bryce Heem called back for a Rieko Ioane knock-on.

Melbourne hooker Jordan Uelese's would-be score was illegally thwarted by Adrian Choat, who was subsequently yellow-carded.

The Blues then took their chances and skipper Tom Robinson was ready and waiting for a long floating pass from five-eighth Otere Black to score right on halftime for a 17-3 lead.

Any hopes of a home side fightback was snuffed out by Sototu's early second-half efforts as the Blues iced an impressive display across the park.

Rebels skipper Matt Toomua, who this week signed a new deal with the club and Rugby Australia, said that while the 14-point swing from those tries hurt, it didn't end up impacting the game.

"At the end of the day that would have been seven points taken off a very large total so at the time it felt like a big moment but we've got to show a lot more resilience than that."

Melbourne's next task is an away match against the Hurricanes in Wellington.

Australian Associated Press